Pupils develop range of skills (From Barry And District News)

Pupils develop range of skills

GLADSTONE Primary School's Year 4 and 6 children experienced a lesson with a difference recently when they participated in a Design Technology (DT) day at the school.

Ian Hill, a representative from XL Wales, visited the school and carried out workshops with the children involving problem-solving activities with a DT/Science theme.

Year 6 children worked through the morning, designing and building bridges using Knex, making them sturdy enough to hold a train track and a moving train. Year 4 children undertook a Christmas challenge involving electricity, devising an alarm system to trigger when Santa comes down the chimney.

XL Wales is an educational charity based in Swansea which runs roadshows in schools across Wales encouraging children to develop problem-solving skills and teamwork, as well as supporting the curriculum.

DT co-ordinator Paula Graham said: "The children learnt so much from this experience. They worked well in small teams, tackled the challenges set with enthusiasm and took delight in creating, modifying and evaluating their designs."